5/13-Michael Horn and Nicole Nielsen talk with Frederick Dame

Frederick L. Dame, Master Sommelier

Frederick L. Dame, Master Sommelier brings an impressive blend of experience, expertise and enthusiasm to the world of wine and cuisine. He is the first American to have served as President of the Court of Master Sommeliers Worldwide and assists restaurateurs and hoteliers in developing their wine programs in his role as Director of Prestige Accounts for Beam Wine Estates. He is currently the President of the Guild of Sommeliers Education Foundation.

Dame's ability to transmit his passionate interest in wine make him a natural teacher. One of just seventy-three Americans to have passed the Master Sommelier Examination, Dame was the first to successfully pass all three parts in a single year. This feat and his high score won him the coveted Krug Cup of the British Guild of Sommeliers in 1984. Dame founded the American Branch of The Court of Master Sommeliers in 1986 and has played an active role in the expansion of the Master Sommelier program throughout America since that time.

As Cellarmaster of The Sardine Factory in Monterey, California for twelve years, Dame created a wine list which won the Wine Spectator Grand Award. With the many wine events held in the brick and wine lined Wine Cellar, Dame turned The Sardine Factory into a wine destination restaurant of world renown. He is also active in the culinary arts serving as an Honorary Trustee of The American Academy of Chefs, the honor society of The American Culinary Federation. He was awarded the Antonin Careme Medal and was made a Supreme Knight of the Knights of the Vine in 2000. He has been elected to the prestigious National Restaurant Association College of Diplomates for 2004.

A sixth generation Californian, Dame graduated from Washington and Lee University with a degree in journalism and communications. A European trip after high school piqued his curiosity about wine and food. Since then, he has applied his considerable persuasive skills to the service and appreciation of fine wine.

5/6-Michael Horn and Nicole Nielsen visit with Wes Hagen

Wes Hagen  -  Winemaker, Clos Pepe Vineyards
Wes Hagen: Vineyard Manager, Winemaker.  Wes has run the show here at Clos Pepe since 1998.  He manages the vineyard and the crew, communicates with our producers and fine-tunes viticulture to suit the stylistic needs of their winemaking.  Involving himself in every aspect of the planting, growing, harvest, crush, fermentation, aging, bottling, shipping and marketing (jncluding the photography and text in the website), Wes is passionate about his life's goal -- producing and celebrating world-class Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  From 1997-98, Wes researched and wrote the petition that established the Santa Rita Hills American Viticultural Area with help from Bryan Babcock, Richard Sanford and other local wine personalities.  The 'Santa Rita Hills AVA' was approved in 2001, and the name was changed a few years later to 'Sta Rita Hills AVA'.  In his quest to promote the wines of Santa Barbara County, and the Santa Rita Hills in particular, Wes created and served as Director of the Santa Barbara County Fair Wine Competition from 2002 until 2004.  As a result of his hard work promoting the region and penning the AVA Petition, Wes was awarded the Central Coast Winegrower's Association 'Grower of the Year Award' for the 2001-2002 growing seasons.  Wes writes a bi-monthly column for WineMaker Magazine called 'Backyard Vines', and has written content for the L.A. Times Magazine, guest blogged for the Wine Spectator and ZesterDaily.com, articles for the Sommelier Journal,'Burgundy-Report', WestCoastWine.Net, VineSwinger.com and other small publications.  In his free time Wes consults on establihsing small vineyards (hillside Pinot Noir only), and has judged the L.A County Fair Wine Competition for eleven years, Riverside International for twelve, and the Long Beach Grand Cru for thirteen years. Wes also lectures on subjects such as the history of wine, backyard winegrowing, and general topics of viticulture and wine education.

Chris Taronto - Marketing Director at Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance
The Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance is a cooperative marketing alliance made up of Paso Robles Wine Country wineries, vineyards and related businesses. The Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance is a 501c6 nonprofit organization operated under the guidance of a nine-member board of directors.

4/29-Michael Horn and Nicole Nielsen talk with Paul Clary

Paul Clary - Clary's Ranch
Clary Ranch is located in the Petaluma Gap region of the Sonoma Coast AVA, about 5 miles due west of Petaluma and 11 miles from Tomales Bay. Clary Ranch Wines was founded by grower & winemaker Paul Clary, who planted the estate vineyards in 2000.
The vineyards consist of 5 blocks of Pinot Noir on about 12.5 acres and 2 blocks of Syrah on about 2.5 acres. The Pinot Noir clones are Dijon 133 & 667, and Pommard 4. The Syrah clones are Syrah 174 and Shiraz 1. The Pacific winds blow strongly through the end of August, and the grapes depend upon the warm, still days of September and October to ripen. Clary Ranch is on the extreme edge of cool-climate viticulture on the continent. The latest Syrah harvest has been just before Thanksgiving!
The grapes are harvested at night, and brought to the winery cold. After destemming and crushing, the juice is cold soaked for 5-10 days. Natural fermentation is allowed to begin, and the fermenting must is inoculated with a commercial yeast (Assmanshausen for Pinot, a Rhone strain for Syrah) after the Brix has dropped about 10 degrees, in order to provide natural flavor complexity while insuring against a stuck fermentation. The must is punched down 3-4 times daily, never pumped over. The wine is pressed just before dryness, and allowed to complete fermentation in barrel. Malolactic fermentation is facilitated by the remaining heat of primary fermentation.
Barrel aging lasts for 18-24 months. 50% new barrels are used. Pinot Noir is aged in French oak barrels from various coopers, and the Syrah is aged in a mixture of French and American oak. After bottling, the wines are aged for another 1-2 years prior to release.
The resultant wines reflect an elegant balance that has been heralded by wine critics and fans alike. In 2007, Wine Spectator named Clary Ranch as among "The Hot New Dozen of California Pinot Noir". Wine Enthusiast said that Clary Ranch is one to "keep an eye on". Allen Meadows of Burghound, often tough on California Pinots, has enthusiastically acclaimed Clary Ranch Pinot Noir as having "impeccable" balance. Clary Ranch Syrah, in very limited production, has a fast-growing base of fans who have fallen in love with its peppery black fruit, which provides the absolutely perfect complement for grilled and roasted meats.

4/22-Michael Horn and Nicole Nielsen talk with Kris Curran, Bruno D'Alfonso & Chris Slaughter

Kris Curran - D'Alfonso-Curran Wines
Kris grew up in the Santa Ynez Valley. Her early love of animals cultivated her passion for science which, in turn, led her to earn an animal science degree at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.  She became enticed by the scientific side of winemaking while working with Bruno at Sanford Winery and received her second bachelors from Fresno in winemaking.  Kris began as assistant winemaker at Cambria and later became a founding winemaker at Koehler and then at Sea Smoke Cellars, where she produced seven vintages. After leaving Sea Smoke, she worked as winemaker for Foley Wines from 2008 to 2010.  Although Kris is popularly known for crafting Pinot Noir, her passion is Spanish varietals. She was the first California vintner to popularize Grenache Blanc, which Curran started making in 2003. Kris loves the variety and challenge of mastering different production techniques. “I have come to appreciate the unique personality of each varietal with which I work. I combine this understanding with my scientific knowledge in pursuit of crafting the best wine possible.” 

Bruno D'Alfonso - D'Alfonso-Curran Wines

Bruno spent his formative years hunting and fishing in the wild, open spaces of southern California. His love of the outdoors led him to earn a degree in soil science from Cal Poly. Bruno's fascination with fine wines inspired him to seek a second bachelors degree from UC Davis, this time in winemaking. Shortly after, Bruno had the wonderful fortune of working with two California winemaking icons: Richard Graff of Chalone Vineyard and Richard Sanford, the Pinot Noir pioneer of the Santa Rita Hills AVA.  After three vintages with the late Mr. Graff at the Edna Valley Vineyard, Bruno joined Mr. Sanford to help begin Sanford Winery. He remained Sanford's winemaker for twenty-three vintages and during that time became a partner. Bruno is one of the best Pinot Noir winemakers in the business and is currently producing exceptional Pinot Noir under his BADGE and Di Bruno labels. "Over the years I have begun to understand the 'designing' of wine. That has become my goal: to create wonderful, stable, long-lived, stylized wines."

Chris Slaughter - Executive Director Santa Maria Valley Wine Country Assoc.

Chris Slaughter is the Executive Director of the Santa Maria Valley Wine Country Association representing 60 winery, restaurant and associated business including Byron, Cambria, Foxen and Riverbench Vineyard and Winery, to name a few of the renowned cool climate brands.  The weekend of July 20th, the association will host the 4th annual Chardonnay Symposium, named as one of the top ten wine events in California by LA Weekly.

Join over 50 Chardonnay producers from around the world for an insightful weekend of education and exploration designed to enlighten wine consumers, industry professionals, and media on Chardonnay wine producing regions and wine making styles, and their effects on America’s favorite wine.  The Chardonnay Symposium is the only event of its kind in the United States focusing on the golden grape and is host to the world’s most celebrated Chardonnays served alongside Chardonnay-inspired food pairings specifically designed to enhance the wine experience.

A highlight of the weekend is the educational panel session moderated by Wine Enthusiast’s Senior West Coast Editor, Steve Heimoff with ward-winning winemakers and vineyard experts.  This year's panel , "Bring in the clones," includes Merry Edwards, Jeff Stewart of Hartford Court, Clarissa Nagy of Riverbench Vineyard and Winery, James Ontiveros from Native 9 and Alta Maria and Karl D. Wente.  And kicking off The Chardonnay Symposium weekend is a star-studded tribute to Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat at the beautiful Bien Nacido Vineyards.  Sommelier Rajat Parr, longtime friend and partner Bob Lindquist of Qupe, The Hitching Post's Chef Frank Ostini, the much buzzed about winemaker Gavin Chanin, and others will be on hand to regale the crowd with stories of Clendenen's influence on the wine industry.

To learn more about The Chardonnay Symposium or purchase tickets, please visit www.thechardonnaysymposium.com or email info@thechardonnaysymposium.com.

4/15-Michael Horn and Nicole Nielsen talk to Tobin James

Tobin James - Tobin James Cellars

Tobin (Toby) James grew up on a vineyard in Indiana, worked in a wine shop in Cincinnati and knew at the age of 18 that he would own a winery. He apprenticed at the Estrella River Winery, eventually being hired on full time and becoming their cellar master. From there, he headed to Eberle Winery to eventually make their wines with Gary Eberle.
When Peachy Canyon started, the owner needed a winemaker. A deal was struck so that Toby would become the founding winemaker and also have the opportunity to continue making Tobin James Cellars' wine at the same facility. The very first wine Toby made won a spot on the coveted "top 100" wines of the year with the Wine Spectator. Toby's reputation continued to grow, and in 1993 decided to build his own winery on highway 46 east of Paso Robles.